Some weeks, I come home with absolute gems of books in my library bag.
Other weeks, I find there are some that are not worth finishing. But that's the good thing about library books - if you don't like one, you just stop reading it and pick up another one.
This week's selection (well, this week, plus one from my last trip) held a lot of gems, so I wanted to share them with you. There were a lot of life lessons contained in these books!
In Some Other World, Maybe - Shari Goldhagen. Where do I begin? This book was one I couldn't put down. It starts with several vignettes of people across the country attending a showing of a sci-fi movie, and then shows the effects that movie had on their lives, and how their lives intertwined in following years. I believe strongly in fate, in that there are people we are supposed to meet and experiences we are supposed to have, but also that one little change can completely alter the time line. The sci-fi movie ties into this belief and shadows what is happening in real life in the story. There is tragedy, and hope, and love, in this book, but nothing ever feels forced, and the relationships are as complex as real life.
Searching for Grace Kelly - Michael Callahan. Set in the 1950s, Searching for Grace Kelly evokes the time when everyone dressed to impress in New York City, but doesn't put a gloss on the seedier, less glamorous parts of that time in history. A young lady spends her summer being a guest editor at Mademoiselle magazine for their annual college issue, and lives at the famous Barbizon Hotel. She makes two wonderful, very different friends, and they all meet men who will change their lives. This book sounds a bit frothy, but it is anything but. There isn't a happy ending per se, and their lives don't quite turn out the way you expect. But it makes you think about things that apply to our lives today - if women can have it all, and what they have to sacrifice for that "privilege," how hard it is to escape domestic violence, and how familial pressure can suffocate you or free you.
Don't Try to Find Me - Holly Brown. I don't know whether to recommend this book to my friends who have girls, as a cautionary tale, or tell them not to ever read it, because they will never sleep again! A mom comes home to find a note on the fridge whiteboard, "Don't try to find me. I'll be okay. I'll be better. I love you." Her 14 year old daughter has run away from home, and not only that, but has planned for months to do so, and has done a very good job of it. The first few chapters are from the mom's point of view, then the next from the daughter's. I won't say more, because I don't w3ant to spoil the book, but it is an incredible read. Lessons learned: kids are a lot more aware than you think of how their parents are getting along; you can't just superficially watch your teens online, but need to have their passwords and access to all of their accounts; tragedy can bring a family closer, but you have to work hard at it.
B as in Beauty - Alberto Ferraras. First of all, this book is PG. Really. You will start reading it, and get to a certain point, and think, "Is this going all 50 Shades of Gray on me?" But it really is not. The story is nothing new - a young lady who doesn't have a great deal of self-confidence gets it from an unexpected source, and changes her life for the better. And ends up with the guy. And the job she wants. But the book is funny, and original, and I really enjoyed it. One of the best lessons learned is that we should be happy and confident with ourselves, no matter if we are a size 2, or a size 12, or a size 20.
I am going to expand on that last lesson, because I think it might be one of the most important lessons from my library book bag.
I am in an exercise class with a group of great ladies every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We support each other, and push each other. I need that support and push, because, quite frankly, if I hadn't had a place to go and people expecting me to be there, I would not have worked out the last two weeks. I would have used the snow and ice and no school to justify not working out, and would have eaten too much, and would be unhappy with myself.
I've been going for two months now, and I am not seeing a great deal of difference on the scale. But I feel stronger, and (sort of) enjoy going to work out. I like the challenge to see what I can accomplish. I might be slowly losing weight and inches, but even if I am not, I am gaining self-confidence and strength and becoming more healthy.
I see women beat themselves up all the time about comfort eating, or not working out, or not fitting into a certain size. We are our own worst critics, and it is time to stop. It is time to love our bodies, flaws and all. That doesn't mean just throwing in the towel and not exercising and eating too much, but it does mean not obsessing over every perceived lump and bump that probably no one else even notices.
Here is the advice the protagonist is given, and I LOVE:
"The posture comes from within: when you love yourself, you offer yourself. The head is high, so that you can look at everyone straight in the eye. The expression is confident. The lips are soft, ready to be kissed. Your bosom rests in bloom under your chin, your shoulders are relaxed, so your arms are open, and free to embrace the man who madly desires you. And never, never forget that you are beautiful."
Never, never forget that you are beautiful. That is what I want to carry with me today, and every day going forward.
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